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3/04/2014

Hot Docs Announces First Titles for #HotDocs14!

Sacra Gra

The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary
Festival, aka Hot Docs, has announced the first 14 titles in the Special
Presentations programme for #HotDocs14. Included among the films are Sacra Gra, last year’s Golden Lion
winner from the Venice Film Festival; Return
to Homs, a Grand Jury Prize winner for World Cinema at Sundance; and Whitey: United States of America v. James J.
Bulger from Oscar-nominated director Joe Berlinger. The forst wave of title
included one Canadian film, Igal Hecht’s The
Sheik, although more local content can be expected in the next rounds of
programming announcements. Hot Docs runs April 24 – May 4.

The first films in the line-up are:

Children 404

Dir. Askold Kurov, Pavel Loparev | Russia | 70 min | World
Premiere

An intimate firsthand account of how Russian’s LGBT youth
have become defenseless after President Vladimir Putin passed a law forbidding “propaganda
of nontraditional sexual relations to minors.”

A Dangerous Game

Dir. Anthony Baxter | UK | 90 min | World Premiere

In this explosive tale, everyday heroes battle against
Donald Trump and a cast of greedy Goliaths who want to turn some of the earth’s
most precious places into golf courses for the super-rich.

Legendary director Victor Kossakovsky sends 32 film students
to document Barcelona’s massive and violent anti-austerity street protest in
2012. Set to an operatic score, his stunning collage transforms into a
brilliant crowd-sourced street ballet.

What do topless Ukrainian women, Syrian dissidents and Wall
Street Occupiers have in common? A colourful new tactic—creative non-violent
protest. See why and how modern pacifism is winning in this slick tribute to disobedience.

The Great Invisible

Dir. Margaret Brown | USA | Canadian Premiere

With unprecedented access, this comprehensive documentary
utilizes an investigative eye and a humanizing touch to examine the causes and
impacts of 2010’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

I am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

Dir. Chad Walker, Dave LaMattina | USA | 85 min | World
Premiere

With an incredible archive of home videos, the story of
Caroll Spinney reveals how a big heart and unstoppable talent created two of
the world’s most beloved Muppets, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.

Mission Blue

Dir. Robert Nixon, Fisher Stevens | USA | 95 min | Canadian
Premiere

The trailblazing career of internationally renowned
oceanographer and eco-activist Sylvia Earle is celebrated in this beautifully
shot testament to her passionate commitment to saving the world’s oceans and
its imperiled inhabitants.

Point and Shoot

Dir. Marshall Curry | USA | 82 min | International Premiere

Baltimore native Matthew VanDyke shares extraordinary visual
tales of his adventures motorcycling across the Middle East—including when he
joins forces with Libyan rebels to oust Muammar Gaddafi, is captured and held
in solitary confinement for six months.

Return to Homs

Dir. Talal Derki | Syria, Germany | 87 min | Canadian
Premiere

Filmed over the course of two years, Sundance World Cinema
Grand Jury Prize-winner Return to Homs takes us into the lives of two friends
caught in the middle of the raging civil war in Syria.

Following the stories and endeavours of citizens living and
working along the giant ring road that encircles Rome, this Venice Golden Lion
winner paints an enchanting portrait of everyday moments in The Eternal City.

The Sheik

Dir. Igal Hecht | Canada | 95 min | World Premiere

Every hero needs a villain. Without the Iron Sheik there
could be no Hulkamania. Khosrow Vaziri’s transformation from Olympic wrestler
to American pop culture icon is a personal and emotional tale that will “make
you humble.”

Ukraine is not a Brothel

Dir. Kitty Green | Australia, Ukraine | 80 min | Canadian
Premiere

Ukraine’s gorgeous group of topless feminist activists,
FEMEN, take off their shirts to take on their government, exposing gender
inequality and government corruption through their provocative public protests.